The Barcelona defender opens about how he wooed the love of his life.

Barcelona defender, Gerard Pique, has revealed the story of how his bonding with Shakira took place began prior to the 2010 World Cup. The former Manchester United defender met Shakira during the filming of the official song of the 2010 World Cup, Waka Waka.

“First time I met Shakira was in Madrid when we filmed the video for Waka Waka before the 2010 World Cup and I asked for her number.”

Pique then used the opportunity by texting her again just days before the World Cup, asking the Colombian pop star about the weather conditions in South Africa.

“She arrived in South Africa before us (the Spanish national team) because she was singing at the opening ceremony. I sent her a text asking how the weather was because we were arriving in a few days.

“This is a typical stupid question that you write and normally get a response like, ‘it’s cold, bring a coat’.”

However, Pique’s “typical stupid question” didn’t get the normal response as Shakira, also referred to as ‘Shak’, wrote a long paragraph in reply, singling out every single detail about the changes in conditions.

“But then she writes a long paragraph, detailing the change in temperature throughout the day.

“I thought, ‘Jesus, this is not normal’. It was in those details that I could tell there was affection.”

And that was it. It was the spark that started the fire that burns even now. The two kept in touch with each other, with the World Cup winning defender promising the Colombian beauty that he would reach the final with Spain in order to see her.

“We started messaging each other throughout the tournament, but the only chance I would have of seeing her would be at the final because she was performing the closing ceremony.

“I told her that if I had to reach the final to see her I would do so. And that was the second time we met, after the World Cup Final.”

The pair have come a long way since then as they now parent two children, Milan and Sasha, and are one of those celebrity couples that people look up to with hope.